Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide: How to Start and Keep the Planner, To-Do List, and Diary That’ll Actually Help You Get Your Life Together

by Rachel Wilkerson Miller

I think clickable black gel pens are the best way to get this job done, and I like them on the finer side—0.5 mm or less, though I’ve noticed that pens that are much thinner than that can feel “scratchy” as they move across the page. I wrote pretty much all the black text in the layouts throughout this book with a Pilot Juice 0.38 gel pen, which is my go-to everyday pen. My runners-up are the Pilot G2 0.5 black gel pen (which I used faithfully for years, and is also the easiest of these pens to find in stores) and Muji 0.5 gel ink pens. And if you’re looking for something extra fine that won’t drag across the page, the Uni-ball Signo 0.28 is great. When it comes to rollerball pens, I like the Uni-ball Deluxe Micro 0.5 and the Pilot Precise V5 RT. If ballpoint pens are more your style, my favorites are the Uni Jetstream Alpha Gel Grip 0.7 and the Uni Jetstream Standard 0.5. I also like the Zebra F-301 0.7 (my grandma’s favorite pen, and what many of my old diaries are written in), though its ink is fainter than many of the competitors. And although it’s not my personal favorite, tons of my ballpoint-loving friends are big fans of the Pentel R.S.V.P. 0.7.